James breaks 1,000 yards rushing, Falcons drop season-finale to Fresno

Dwan James became the Falcons' first 1,000 yards rusher since 2013.
Dwan James became the Falcons' first 1,000 yards rusher since 2013.

West Hills College Coalinga sophomore running back Dwan James became the latest 1,000 yard rusher in Falcons history. He ran for 137 yards on Saturday in West Hills' 38-14 loss to Fresno City College in the regular-season finale at Memorial Stadium.

It was James fourth consecutive 100+ yard rushing game and fifth over the past six contests. He totaled 1,108 yards this season on 191 carries (5.8 yard per carry) with nine touchdowns for the Falcons. James joins the 1,000 yards club last touched by West Hills' Wilfred Butler (1,172 yards) in 2013.

The Falcons fell behind 21-0 to the Rams on Saturday before finally hitting the end zone with no time left in the first half. Tristan Eames tossed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Keyon Hair as time expired to send West Hills into the locker room at the break down 21-6.

The Falcons offense was held down until late in the fourth quarter. James capped a long eight-play, 98-yard drive with a two-yard TD plunge with 28 seconds left in the contest to close out the scoring for both teams.

Despite the lopsided final score, the stat sheet showed an even closer game. West Hills had more first downs (19-18), led the time of possession battle (33:47-26:13), and trailed by just 24 total yards of offense (367-343).

Eames completed 10 of 23 passes for 116 yards with a TD and two interceptions. He was also a threat on the ground, running for 73 yards on 13 carries. Hair led Falcon receivers with three catches for 81 yards.

On defense, Dashawn Holliman led West Hills with nine tackles and a fumble recovery while Thadius Harris posted eight tackles and returned an interception 29 yards.

West Hills wrapped up a difficult 2019 season, going 0-10 overall and 0-5 in Valley League play.